Social Change In The Rural Christian

In the context of social changes, this paper takes some villages and towns in the northeast part of Guanyun County, Jiangsu Province as example, tries to view the Christians in the rural society of the Han nationality in ethnic perspective, describes the formation, changes and nature of this ethnic group, and gives a new historical anthropological annotation. This paper is divided into six parts. The first part looks at the past to gain a brief history of the dissemination and development of Christianity in Guanyun County during the period of later Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China. The second part shows the situation of the rapid development of Christianity in Guanyun County in recent12years. The third part explains why Christianity has grown into the largest religion in Guanyun County and why many people have converted to Christianity. The author examines this question, using all sorts of theories of religion, bearing in mind the situation of China, keeping in view the world, and divides all the factors into two parts, i.e. interior factors and exterior influences, involving political structure, economic system, social relationship, ideology and culture, and draws a conclusion that some marginals, i.e. the people who live on the edge of society, may be converted to Christianity. Meanwhile, the popular beliefs don't make a quick recovery, which is the condition of the success of Christianity in Guanyun County. The fourth and fitfh part depicts the life of the rural Christians. First, this part analyzes the means of livelihood and cultural life of the peasant, and draws a conclusion again that the people, who live on the edge of society, may be converted to Christianity. Second, this part shows the reader all things of the Luhejie church, especially the Christians in the church. Third, this part analyzes the belief of the rural Christians, shows the reader how they'd deconstructed the history, reconstructured their collective memory, and grown into an ethnic group. However, their collective memory is the product of the subjective imagination. Fourth, this part depicts the festivals, rituals and other forms of meeting, and shows how they cohere with each other and maintain the ethnic identity. Fifth, this part explains how the rural Christians can maintain the boundaries of their group. In order to explain this phenomenon, this paper depicts their attitude toward the popular beliefs, some customs and festivals of the Han nationality. In order to explain the interaction between the rural Christians and the outside, the author brings out a three-level model of the system of identity.The last part of this paper is the conclusion. The author considers that the rural Christians are the people who live on the edge of society, and that the Christians'belief is a one with the characteristics of Chinese popular beliefs. In order to explain the interaction between the popular belief and the Christians'belief, the author brings out "a Theory of Aweto". The paper shows a real care of the rural Christians, and thinks carefully about how to raise their status and pay.